 At its peak, having a population of nearly 200, today very little evidence of the rich African-American history remains in this area.The German settlement of Hermann on the opposite bank of the Missouri River ardently opposed slavery and as such the Missouri River made for not just a geographical divide, but also an idealogical one.As a result of this position, first adopted in the 1840s, Hermann became a center for the mustering of black troops into the militia for the Civil War.